Draco was terrified that his parents would be punished for his failure to assassinate [[Albus Dumbledore]] on [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]'s orders, and appeared to be close to accepting Dumbledore’s offer to keep them safe before [[Severus Snape]] interceded and killed the Headmaster.<ref name="HBP" /> Lucius too cared far more about Draco than about his life as a [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]], begging Voldemort during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] to allow him to go search for Draco. Once it resumed, neither Lucius nor Narcissa fought at all, instead desperately searching for their son.<ref name="DH" />

Draco was terrified that his parents would be punished for his failure to assassinate [[Albus Dumbledore]] on [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]'s orders, and appeared to be close to accepting Dumbledore’s offer to keep them safe before [[Severus Snape]] interceded and killed the Headmaster.<ref name="HBP" /> Lucius too cared far more about Draco than about his life as a [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]], begging Voldemort during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] to allow him to go search for Draco. Once it resumed, neither Lucius nor Narcissa fought at all, instead desperately searching for their son.<ref name="DH" />

−

In [[2006]], Lucius had a grandson, [[Scorpius Malfoy|Scorpius]] through Draco and Draco's wife, [[Astoria Greengrass]]. It is unknown what kind of relationship Lucius and Scorpius had, but it is most likely that they had a good one. Scorpius also resembled Lucius physically, as he resembled Draco, too.

+

In [[2006]], Lucius had a grandson, [[Scorpius Malfoy|Scorpius]] through Draco and his wife, [[Astoria Greengrass]]. It is unknown what kind of relationship Lucius and Scorpius had, but it is most likely that they had a good one. Scorpius also resembled Lucius physically, as he resembled Draco, too.

"Ah, poor Lucius... what with Voldemort's fury about the fact that he threw away the Horcrux for his own gain, and the fiasco at the Ministry last year, I would not be surprised if he is secretly glad to be safe in Azkaban at the moment."

When Voldemort returned, Lucius once again served him as a Death Eater, leading the efforts to obtain the prophecy Voldemort sought. In the battle that ensued, the prophecy was destroyed, and Lucius and his comrades were imprisoned in Azkaban in 1996. Although Voldemort broke them out of prison in 1997, he was displeased with Lucius for his failure and treated the Malfoys with disdain. Lucius and his family defected at the end of the Second Wizarding War and were thus pardoned for their crimes after Voldemort's final defeat. He and Narcissa later had a grandson, Scorpius Malfoy, after Draco married Astoria Greengrass.

First Wizarding War

"They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."

Lucius knew Igor Karkaroff, High-master of Durmstrang Institute and a former Death Eater as well, and considered sending his son to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts. However, Narcissa did not like the idea of Draco going to school so far away, thus they sent him to Hogwarts. Lucius also associated with a gang of Slytherins that included Severus Snape. In his later life, Lucius retained his acquaintance with Snape, speaking highly of him to Ministry officials such as Dolores Umbridge. Snape also seemed to favour Lucius' son Draco when he was a student.

Between the wars

"Any work of fiction or nonfiction that depicts interbreeding between wizards and Muggles should be banned from the bookshelves of Hogwarts. I do not wish my son to be influenced into sullying the purity of his bloodline by reading stories that promote wizard-Muggle marriage."

—Malfoy's request to Dumbledore to have "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" banned from Hogwarts.[src]

Dumbledore's refusal to allow the book to be removed was backed by a majority of the Board of Governors, and the headmaster wrote back to Malfoy saying that pure-blood families mantain their so-called purity by disowning, banishing, or lying about Muggles and Muggle-borns in their family trees, and then ask for works that deal with these truths to be banned[6]. Dumbledore considered it illogical and immoral to remove works dealing with the mixture of wizard blood and Muggle blood for the knowledge of the students. Dumbledore's response prompted several further letters from Lucius Malfoy consisting of "opprobrious remarks" on Dumbledore's sanity, parentage, and hygiene[6].

This exchange, according to Dumbledore, was the start of Lucius Malfoy's long campaign to have Dumbledore removed from his post as headmaster of Hogwarts, and the start of Dumbledore's campaign to have Lucius removed from his position of Lord Voldemort's Favourite Death Eater[6].

Opening of the Chamber of Secrets

Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius: "Now, now Draco. Play nicely. Mr. Potter! Lucius Malfoy. We meet at last. Forgive me...your scar is legend. As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."

Harry: "Voldemort killed my parents. He was nothing more than a murderer."

Lucius: "You must be very brave to mention his name. Or very foolish..."

Lucius planted the diary on Ginny in a plot to use her to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, which would lead to attacks on Muggle-born students. Lucius knew the diary is cleverly enchanted, but was not aware that it contained a part of Voldemort's soul. Lucius intended to use the opening of the Chamber of Secrets by Ginny for many of his own personal interests; he would have used it to discredit Ginny's father, Arthur Weasley, get Albus Dumbledore thrown out of Hogwarts, and several Muggle-borns would be targeted, as well as getting rid of a highly incriminating object at the same time.

Lucius sacking Dumbledore.

This plan was initially successful, despite Lucius's house-elfDobby's attempt to warn Harry Potter. Students, animals, and ghosts were systematically petrified by the basilisk that a possessed Ginny released as the diary's grip on her became gradually stronger. Lucius used the ensuing terror (as well as threats to attack their families if they didn't cooperate) to influence the school's Board of Governors to discredit and vote to dismiss Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster for his poor running of the school.

Lucius's plans were ultiately thwarted, however, when the Riddle in the diary decided to pursue his own goals, and rather than continue to petrify the Muggle-borns of the school, he set his eyes on the destruction of Harry Potter, the boy that Ginny told him would kill him in his future. Ginny finally stopped trusting her diary and threw it away, but Riddle soon took control of her again, taking Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets in hopes of luring Harry there.

Harry with Dumbledore and Mr. Malfoy

Harry followed to save Ginny, and killed the basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's sword and destroyed the diary with a basilisk fang, which (though he didn't know it at the time) also destroyed the piece of Voldemort's soul inside. Harry proved Ginny's innocence and pointed an accusing finger at the true culprit — Lucius. Subsequently, and adding insult to injury, Harry also managed to trick Lucius into setting Dobby free by wrapping the diary in his own sock before handing it back to Lucius. Dobby then caught the sock after Lucius carelessly tossed it aside, thus, he was no longer forced into servitude of the Malfoy family.

Upon being tricked into freeing his house-elf, Lucius attempted to attack Harry with his wand but Dobby disarmed him before he could do any harm, blasting his former master down a flight of steps. While his role in the opening of the Chamber of Secrets could not be successfully proven, Lucius was ultimately stripped of his title as a Hogwarts school governor for threats against his eleven other colleagues. Despite his sacking, he still maintained strong ties with the Ministry of Magic.

It was hinted that Lucius's target in this plan, along with harming Muggle-born students and Ginny, and discrediting Arthur Weasley and Albus Dumbledore, was to sabotage the Muggle Protection Act that Arthur Weasley had recently proposed, which Lucius, a believer in blood purity and the inferiority of Muggles, found offensive. Lucius's selfishness risked the endangerment of the diary, which, unbeknownst to him, was actually one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.

The Buckbeak case

Lucius Malfoy

During the 1993 school year, Lucius’ son Draco was attacked by the hippogriff named Buckbeak after he provoked it during a Care of Magical Creatures class. Lucius took the case to court and insisted that the hippogriff be put to death. Buckbeak's owner, gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, desperately tried to defend him, with the assistance of Hermione Granger, arguing that Buckbeak had been provoked by Draco and had attacked in self-defence. Despite his actions, Malfoy still won the case and Buckbeak was sentenced to death. However, before Ministry executioner Walden Macnair could carry out the execution, Buckbeak was saved by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and subsequently came to be owned by Sirius Black.[7]

Second Wizarding War

In 1994, Lucius attended the Quidditch World Cup with his family, sitting in the luxury box of Minister for MagicCornelius Fudge. Though he was disgusted that Arthur Weasley was there in the top box with his children along with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, Lucius and Arthur restrained themselves due to being in Fudge's presence. In the aftermath of the cup, Malfoy and some other former Death Eaters were involved in the torture and humiliation of the Muggle site manager of the stadium and his family, though was not known at that time to the public and officials. He fled when the Dark Mark was launched into the sky.

Lord Voldemort's return

Lucius during Voldemort's rebirth.

"Lucius, my slippery friend. I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me, Lucius."

When Lord Voldemortrose again in the summer of 1995, Malfoy returned to him on his summons, claiming that he had done everything he could all along to find Voldemort and help him rise again. Voldemort believed that Malfoy had not completely renounced his old ways, but mildly doubted his loyalty because Malfoy had fled the Dark Mark at the World Cup.

Lucius in his old attire.

"I have never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present each day since your ... absence, that is my true mask."

Even though Harry witnessed Malfoy's declaration of loyalty to Voldemort, almost nobody in the Ministry believed him and Malfoy continued maintaining strong ties to very high places in the Ministry, most prominently in the form of financial support, as has been in the past.[8]

Continued connection with the Ministry

Lucius Malfoy in 1995-1996

In 1995, after the trial of Harry Potter, Malfoy and Fudge encountered Harry, and it was implied that Malfoy was giving money to the Ministry.[1]. Malfoy appeared doing shady dealings with Cornelius Fudge in the Department of Mysteries just prior to Harry's trial. Malfoy could possibly have been convincing Fudge not to clear Harry's name.

Imprisonment and fall from grace

Lucius' mission to retrieve the prophecy ultimately failed when Neville Longbottom, under the influence of a Step Dance Curse from Antonin Dolohov, accidentally broke the prophecy. Lucius was seen by a myriad of Ministry officials called by Albus Dumbledore to the scene; now with irrefutable evidence pointing to his identity as a Death Eater, Lucius was promptly sent to Azkaban prison, as was the rest of the Death Eater squad, the sole exception being Bellatrix Lestrange, who escaped with Voldemort.

Lucius with Azkaban prisoner number at his neck

After the events in the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort mainly blamed Lucius for the failure, as Lucius was the commander of Voldemort's small task force. Lucius Malfoy's failure at the Department of Mysteries combined with accidentally destroying part of Voldemort's soul with the diary of Tom Riddle resulted in his loss of any standing with the Dark Lord. Some believed that he was safer in Azkaban than being free.[3] Lucius was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

However, the Malfoys were no longer held in high regard by the Dark Lord, who commandeered their home as his base of operations. Voldemort openly mocked the family at a Death Eater meeting in the summer of 1997, taking Lucius' wand and deriding their relation to werewolfRemus Lupin through Narcissa's niece Nymphadora Tonks. Lucius had become little more than a servant. [9]

Skirmish at Malfoy Manor

Lucius: "Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

Draco: "I can’t – I can’t be sure."

Lucius: "But look at him carefully, look! Come closer! Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv–"

After Hermione lied about the sword being a copy and Griphook went along with her story, Bellatrix signalled Voldemort, but Dobby, the Malfoys' former house-elf, came to the rescue of the prisoners. Harry and Ron ran back upstairs, and the former stunned Lucius. After their escape, the Malfoys and Bellatrix were severely punished by Voldemort.[9]

Battle of Hogwarts

Lucius: "My Lord...please...my son..."

Voldemort: "If your son is dead, Lucius, it is not my fault. He did not come and join me, like the rest of the Slytherins..."

Lucius: "Aren't - aren't you afraid, my Lord that Potter might die at another hand but yours? Wouldn't it be... forgive me... more prudent to call off this battle, enter the castle, and seek him y-yourself?"

Voldemort: "Do not pretend, Lucius. You wish the battle to cease so that you can discover what has happened to your son."

Physical appearance

Lucius had a pale, pointed face, with pale blond hair and cold grey eyes. He often carried a walking stick with a snake head that contained his wand. His son Draco resembled him strongly.[5] It is stated that his grandson, Scorpius Malfoy, resembles Draco, meaning that Lucius and his grandson also had a resemblance.

Personality and traits

"I don't give a damn what your father thinks. He's vile, and cruel. And you're pathetic."

Despite being the embodiment of wealth and influence in the wizarding world, Lucius Malfoy was a ruthless bigot; he took great pride in his aristocratic stature, viewing himself as being racially superior to Muggles, Muggle-borns, and half-bloods. He was also a shrewd, opportunistic social climber who was good at controlling others but behind his veneer of respectability, he treated people cruelly. He callously utilised eleven-year old Ginevra Weasley in an attempt to both discredit her father in the Ministry, and remove Albus Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts. This attempt would have resulted in her death if Harry Potter had not intervened.[5]

Lucius's slick demeanour thinly concealed a cowardly side. Like Peter Pettigrew and Dolores Umbridge, he appealed to whichever side would be more beneficial to his social advancement. He was never unconditionally loyal because he didn't want to be put in a bad light with people on either end. During the Quidditch World Cup, he anonymously participated in the lowly torturing of Muggles but fled when the Dark Mark was cast in the sky. In fact, rather than going to find Lord Voldemort when he lost all his powers in the first place, he instead pretended to have seen the error of his ways and tried to ingratiate himself to the Ministry of Magic. He claimed that he was always alert for Voldemort's return but when Voldemort pointed out that he'd fled from the Dark Mark, Lucius was instantly silenced. Despite this he did attempt to go through with Voldemort's plan of using his old school diary to open the Chamber of Secrets, not realising that the diary contained a piece of his master's soul.

However, Lucius cared greatly for his wife and son and was one of the few Death Eaters who was capable of feeling genuine love. He and Narcissa were indulgent and protective of their only child, though Lucius also demonstrated that he had expectations for his son, in one instance berating him for being beaten academically by Hermione Granger. When Lucius displeased Voldemort, the Dark Lord charged Draco with the task of killing Dumbledore as an indirect attack on Lucius. In the end, along with Narcissa, he demonstrated that his family was more important to him than serving Voldemort. Lucius' love for Draco and Narcissa also allowed him to overcome his more cowardly side as he charged straight into the thick of battle during the siege on Hogwarts in an attempt to find Draco.[9]

Magical abilities and skills

Lucius blocking a spell.

Love: Despite his cold and ruthless nature, Lucius was one of the few Death Eaters who was capable of feeling love. Lucius cared deeply about his family, especially Narcissa and Draco. In the end his love for his family drove him to abandon Voldemort to search for Draco. His abandonment of Voldemort led to him avoiding another sentence in Azkaban along with his family.

Dark Arts: His former house elf called him a dark wizard and was a powerful death eater, being a member of the innermost circle.

Duelling: Lucius was a skilled duellist and was able to hold his own against Sirius Black and Harry Potter simultaneously in the Ministry of Magic. He was also the only Death Eater, apart from Severus Snape, who had enough confidence in his abilities to stand up to Bellatrix Lestrange and deflected one of her spells which had been aimed at Harry, because he was worried that she might accidentally smash the prophecy Harry was carrying. Lucius was present during the Battle of Hogwarts but did little, if any, fighting during the battle, because he was with Lord Voldemort in the Shrieking Shack for the first part of the battle and was searching for his son during the second part.

Possessions

Lucius's walking stick

Enchanted Cane: Lucius owned a walking stick that was enchanted with the shield charm to protect him from spells. His wand was hidden within the stick for sneak attack, so he could block and cast spells at the same time. The cane was also ornamented with a snake head at the top. This ornamentation was broken off by Voldemort in the Meeting at Malfoy Manor, when Voldemort forced Lucius to give him his wand, under the assumption that another's wand but not his own can kill Harry Potter.

Poisons: In 1992 he was seen by Harry Potter selling dark poisons at Borgin and Burkes because the ministry was conducting raids on private homes.

Relationships

Family

Parents

Although not much is known about Lucius's parents, it is known that they were both pure-blood. His father, Abraxas, died of a case of Dragon pox, when he was very old. He was also a friend of Horace Slughorn. It is unknown when Lucius' mother died, but it is possible that she was not alive during the Second Wizarding War.

Wife and Son

Narcissa Malfoy, his wife.

Bellatrix: "That was not my fault! The Dark Lord, has, in the past, entrusted me with his most precious — if Lucius hadn't —"

Lucius and his wife, Narcissa, appeared to have a close and affectionate relationship. They both enjoyed being members of the social elite of the wizarding world and spoiling their only child, Draco. Lucius acquiesced to his wife’s wishes when she wanted their son to attend Hogwarts, rather than Durmstrang. Narcissa was very upset when her husband was briefly imprisoned in Azkaban and became highly defensive when others mentioned it.[3] In 1997, when Lord Voldemort took over Malfoy Manor and demanded that Lucius give him his wand, he looked to Narcissa, and only when she touched his wrist did he turn it over.[9]

Draco, Lucius' only son.

Lucius and Draco

Lucius: "I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin... Though if his school marks don't pick up, that may indeed be all he is fit for-"

Draco: "It's not my fault. The teachers all have favourites, that Hermione Granger-"

Lucius: "I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam."

While both Lucius and Narcissa spoiled their son, Lucius was the more demanding parent. Regardless, he spoiled Draco with everything from unlimited freedom to money, and personally purchased broomsticks for the entire SlytherinQuidditchteam when Draco was made Seeker. He was also openly critical of Draco’s school marks being lower than those of Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born witch, reproving Draco for his lack of effort to show her up. Draco looked up to his father, often boasting about his influence and emulating him.[5] He was furious with Harry Potter after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, blaming him for getting Lucius incarcerated.[1]

Draco was terrified that his parents would be punished for his failure to assassinate Albus Dumbledore on Lord Voldemort's orders, and appeared to be close to accepting Dumbledore’s offer to keep them safe before Severus Snape interceded and killed the Headmaster.[3] Lucius too cared far more about Draco than about his life as a Death Eater, begging Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts to allow him to go search for Draco. Once it resumed, neither Lucius nor Narcissa fought at all, instead desperately searching for their son.[9]

In 2006, Lucius had a grandson, Scorpius through Draco and his wife, Astoria Greengrass. It is unknown what kind of relationship Lucius and Scorpius had, but it is most likely that they had a good one. Scorpius also resembled Lucius physically, as he resembled Draco, too.

Arthur Weasley

Arthur Weasley, his arch-rival.

Lucius: "What's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Arthur: "We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

Lucius: "Clearly. Associating with Muggles. And I thought your family could sink no lower."

Severus Snape

Lucius ran in the same circles as Severus Snape since their Hogwarts days, welcoming him into Slytherin house when Severus was sorted there and Lucius was a prefect, and as part of a group of future Death Eaters.[9] Lucius continued to think and speak highly of Severus later in life, and Severus seemed to favour Draco as a student in his Potions class, leading Sirius Black to once acidly comment that Severus was Lucius’ “lap dog”.[1] The fact that Narcissa Malfoy went to Severus for help when Lucius was in Azkaban and Draco had been given a dangerous mission by Voldemort[3] demonstrates the trust and respect the Malfoys had for Severus, apparently in spite of his being a half-blood, though it is possible they were unaware of his blood status.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Lucius with Bellatrix, his sister-in-law.

Lucius didn't seem to have very much respect for Bellatrix Lestrange, his sister-in-law, as the rest of the Death Eaters did. Bellatrix was a fanatically loyal Death Eater, who fought for Lord Voldemort in the First and the Second Wizarding War. Lucius was antagonistic with Bellatrix, despite that she had been imprisoned in Azkaban for fourteen years, unlike Lucius. When Bellatrix wanted to kill, or torture Harry Potter during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Lucius restrained her. After the battle, Bellatrix told Narcissa that it was Lucius' fault that he didn't give Voldemort the Prophecy. In 1997, Bellatrix stayed with Lucius at his house, as she wanted to come closer to Voldemort, who was also staying there. Bellatrix and Lucius also fought along during the Battle of Malfoy Manor, where they argued about who would call Voldemort when they caught Harry Potter. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Bellatrix was eventually killed by Molly Weasley, while Lucius and his family reformed, as they regretted being loyal to Voldemort.

Dobby

Dobby was Lucius' house-elf. Lucius treated Dobby with cruelty and was very sadistic with him. Dobby feared Lucius, but did everything Lucius ordered him. In 1993, Harry Potter freed Dobby by making Lucius give him a sock. Lucius became very angry and attempted to kill Harry. The last time Lucius saw Dobby was in 1998, when Dobby came to Malfoy Manor to rescue Harry Potter and his friends. Dobby was eventually killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. It is unknown how Lucius reacted when he learned it.

Lord Voldemort

Lord Voldemort, his former master.

Voldemort: "I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late… What is it about my presence in your home that displeases you, Lucius?"

Lucius was one of Lord Voldemort’s most trusted and high-ranking Death Eaters, serving him in both the First and Second Wizarding Wars. Upon his rebirth in 1995, Voldemort questioned Lucius’ loyalty, since he had never tried to find the Dark Lord after his fall in 1981.[8] Voldemort accepted Lucius’ explanations and exultations of devotion, and entrusted Lucius with the task of obtaining a prophecy concerning him and Harry Potter. Along with Lucius selfishly throwing away the diaryHorcrux, and failure and subsequent imprisonment in Azkaban made him and his family lose any favour in Voldemort’s eyes, and the Dark Lord may have given Lucius’ son a nearly impossible task to punish Lucius.[3]

Voldemort asks Lucius for his wand.

Although he broke Lucius out of Azkaban in 1997, along with many other Death Eaters, Voldemort treated him with disdain, taking over his home and his wand, and mocking the Malfoys for their relation to a werewolf through Narcissa’s niece. Lucius was desperate to regain his master’s favour, but the opportunity for this that came with the capture of Harry Potter in the spring of 1998 ended in disaster; Harry and his friends escaped, and the Malfoys were severely punished. By the Battle of Hogwarts, Lucius abandoned his loyalty to Voldemort to protect his family, and was pardoned for his crimes due to his last-minute defection.[9]

Albus Dumbledore

Lucius Malfoy had a strong dislike of Albus Dumbledore. This is due to two reasons – Dumbledore believed in Muggle rights which contradicted Malfoy's pure blood beliefs. In addition, Lucius was a Death Eater, so he believed that Lord Voldemort was a much more powerful wizard than Dumbledore. Lucius always believed that Dumbledore becoming Headmaster was the worst thing that happened to Hogwarts.

In 1992, Lucius Malfoy was indirectly responsible for the second opening of the Chamber of Secrets. This was an attempt to discredit Arthur Weasley but Lucius also wanted to include Dumbledore by using the excuse of blaming him for doing nothing to stop the Chamber's opening. Lucius abused his position as a Hogwarts Governor and threatened the other Governors to vote for Dumbledore's suspension after several attacks on Hogwarts students. However, when Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber, the other Governors decided to face Malfoy and Dumbledore was reinstated. Lucius was furious that Dumbledore dared to return to Hogwarts, but Dumbledore was aware that Lucius had threatened the other Governors. Consequently, Lucius was sacked as a Hogwarts Governor.

Harry Potter

Lucius was the father of Draco Malfoy, Harry's school bully. During their first years at Hogwarts, Lucius discouraged their rivalry, feeling it wouldn't reflect well on them to be on poor terms with such a famous person. When Lucius first met Harry in Flourish and Blotts in 1992, he pretended to be polite to him.

"I would remind you that it is not — prudent — to appear anything less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear."

—Lucius Malfoy urges his son to be more of an opportunist

After Harry succeeded in killing the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, he confronted Lucius about his suspicions on how Ginny obtained the diary at the beginning of the year and then tricked him into freeing his own servant Dobby. Lucius was furious and from that point on, treated him with cool contempt.

Lucius was a little bit more tactful around Harry than other Death Eaters (such as Bellatrix Lestrange) depending on the circumstances. However, Lucius didn't openly declare himself against him until after Lord Voldemort took control of the Ministry.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, the Malfoy family switched sides. This meant they were forgiven for their crimes. Draco made peace with Harry but they were not friends. It is likely that Lucius did the same, or merely decided to leave Harry and his family alone.

In particular, Hagrid disliked Lucius. In 1992, Hagrid had to separate Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy from fighting in Flourish and Blotts. During the 1992–1993 school year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Lucius was indirectly responsible for the Chamber’s opening. However, Hagrid was blamed because he had been framed by Tom Riddle for the Chamber’s first opening fifty years before. As a result, Hagrid was arrested as a precautionary measure by Cornelius Fudge. Lucius was present at Hagrid’s arrest, although Hagrid reacted angrily to his presence and ordered him to get out of his house. Lucius mocked Hagrid by wondering how he called his small hut a “house”. Lucius was only present at Hagrid’s arrest because he had to inform Dumbledore that he and the other governors had voted on his suspension. Hagrid saw through Lucius and shouted at him accusing him of threatening the other governors. Lucius' responce was to mock Hagrid’s temper and advising him not to shout at Azkaban guards like that. This instance proved that Hagrid did not trust Lucius. Lucius described Dumbledore’s decision to employ Hagrid as a teacher as “eccentric”.

In 1993, Lucius’ son Draco was injured by Hagrid’s HippogriffBuckbeak. Lucius was furious and complained to the Ministry of Magic. At Buckbeak’s trial, Lucius was the witness for the prosecution. Hagrid desperately tried to defend Buckbeak but he lost due to Lucius’ influence at the Ministry. Buckbeak was sentenced to death but was saved by Harry and Hermione.

Etymology

The name Lucius may come from the Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who extra judiciously executed his rivals. His name could also be a reference to the Roman Emperor Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also known as Nero. Lucius is a name that derives from Latin meaning "bright" or "intelligent" and is related to the name Lucifer, the first name of Satan, which may reference Lucius Malfoy being bright but evil, or just evil.

Malfoy is derived from the French mal foi or mal foy, meaning bad faith or unfaithful.

A Latin male first name. A character in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Lucius is the servant of Brutus, the leader of the conspirators who plot against and assassinate Caesar.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, after Harry caused him to inadvertently set Dobby free, Lucius Malfoy was about to cast a curse at Harry, but was stopped by Dobby. In the film adaptation, it sounded as though he was about to cast the Killing Curse, because it sounded as though he said, "Avada-", the entire curse was not heard because he was cut off by Dobby. The attempted use of this curse was the result of an improvisation on Issacs' part, as the script did not specify which curse he was supposed to use, so he used the first spell that came to his mind.

Similarly, his dialogue to Harry where he sardonically states that they should hope that Harry Potter is still around to save the day, and Harry's response, was an improvisation by Jason Issacs and Daniel Radcliffe, respectively, and was not in the original script. It was ad-libbed because Jason Issacs felt it was completely out-of-character for Lucius Malfoy to simply let Dumbledore have the last word.

In the two last films, Part 1 and Part 2 of Deathly Hallows, Lucius appears to be un-shaved, having been put under pressure and stress by Lord Voldemort, not to mention being in Azkaban for a year or so, where he would have been living in poor state.

Lucius Malfoy is ranked Number 12 on the Forbes Fictional 15 list of the richest people in the world.[12]

A variety of Elder Futhark runes are depicted on Lucius's Azkaban placard. The easily identified ones are: Othila, which means "estate, heritage, possession" and corresponds to the Latin letter "o"; Fehu (albeit rotated slightly), meaning "one of the Æsir (gods)" and corresponds to the Latin letter "a"; Uruz, meaning "wild ox" or "water"; and Mannaz, meaning "man". [13]It is unknown if these serve any purpose (other than for identification, like the numbers and letters), though they may be a reference to different parts of his character. For example, Othila, which could represent his abundance of material possessions & wealth, as well as his emphasis on blood purity ("heritage").

According to Lucius's actor, Jason Isaacs, in the Maximum Movie Mode of Deathly Hallows Part 2, he believed after the battle, Lucius felt isolated from not only from everyone but his family as well.

In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Lucius was not able to perform a Killing Curse. Instead, he was able to release a peacock from his inventory. (It's strange because he was able to kill in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4.) This is because of the game's design, where the Killing Curse at Death Eaters and the inventory takes the same slot. It is likely that Lucius was "disarmed" from this ability because there were a lot of playable Death Eaters in the game who could perform a Killing Curse.